ATCO Licensing

Expand all questions

Should an STDI endorsement be issued for an OJTI when the person has not successfully completed an OJTI training course, but has successfully completed a training course for the STDI endorsement?

Can a Member State accept an ATCO license issued in accordance with the laws of a third country?

Should an STDI endorsement be issued for an OJTI when the medical certificate has been withdrawn?

Why is there a difference in the requirements on the responsibility for undertaking assessment of previous competence in ATCO.B.010(b) compared with ATCO.B.001(d) and ATCO.B.005(e) and how should the difference be interpreted? Some say that the assessment could be conducted by a unit training organisation, while others are of the opinion that the assessment and if needed, additional rating training is to be done by an initial training organisation.

Do STDI instructors need a valid English language endorsement in their licences to obtain and to exercise their privileges?

Regulation 805/2011 requires one or more rating endorsements, including TCL and OCN, to be added to an ACS rating. However, Regulation 2015/340 does not appear to allow for both the TCL and OCN ratings to be added to an ACS rating at the same time.

If an assessors is assessed medically unfit, is he/she is allowed to perform or conduct assessments?

What should be assessed and/or examined in relation to conversion training? When are the assessments/examinations to take place and who can conduct the assessments?

Should an STDI endorsement be issued for an OJTI who is no longer competent? In such case, is there a possibility for a temporary issue of the STDI endorsement or can the OJTI endorsement be retained on the licence if it is anticipated that the OJTI would regain competency?

What should be assessed and/or examined in relation to refresher training? When are the assessments/examinations to take place and who can conduct the assessments?

How should the pages and the information in Item XIIa ‘Rating and endorsements with expiry date’ be arranged within the ATCO licence format?

How should ratings and rating endorsements be linked together in the proposed licence format? There are two rating endorsements (Terminal Control (TCL) and Oceanic Control (OCN)) that can be attached either to the Approach Control Surveillance (APS) or the Area Control Surveillance (ACS) rating. The licence template establishes in point IX a place for ratings and another one for rating endorsements, with no link between these two. The question is how to differentiate between the two: to which rating (APS or ACS) corresponds each one of those rating endorsements (TCL or OCN)? Is it necessary at all to make the distinction?

ATCOs who already hold a licence with an on-the-job training instructor (OJTI) endorsement according to Regulation (EU) No 805/2011, could they have their licence replaced to include the synthetic training device instructor (STDI) endorsement, with the same expiry dates?

Is the same ‘practical instructional techniques course’ valid for obtaining/revalidating the OJTI/STDI licence endorsements?

How to deal with practical instructors employed at an initial training centre who no longer hold a medical certificate?

How to issue a licence with STDI privileges for applicants not holding a licence and associated ratings issued in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 805/2011?

Is there a requirement for an ATCO who holds an ACS rating to also hold an ACP rating?

It was explained at the ATCO Regulation Workshop in March 2015 that in the event of surveillance failure which results in having to switch to a procedural environment, once the failure is contained and the environment made safe, the provision of any further service would require an Approach Control Procedural (APP) or an Area Control Procedural (ACP) rating. What about if the unit or sector, operated in a rigid environment of 1 departure every 10 minutes, is to be handed over to a surveillance unit/sector and with no other traffic involved, would this be considered a requirement for the procedural rating?

The removal of the age limit from an ATCO licence is a difference against the ICAO Standards And Recommended Practices (SARPs). Are Member States required to file a difference to ICAO or has EASA already notified ICAO on behalf of Member States?

Initial Training Centre Assessors will be granted ‘grandfather rights’, according to Regulation (EU) 2015/340, with regard to the assessor endorsement. Shall this assessor privilege be endorsed on their licence?

Appendix 1 of Annex 2 is quite prescriptive as regards the content of the licence. It indicates that each page pf the licence shall be one-eighth A4 (first quality paper). Do we need to identify all the pages with numbers and do they all belong to the same piece of paper? For the optional item V (holder’s address), should we decide not to ask for it, can we delete line V from the licence?

Is it acceptable to have a licence with electronic elements, with the possibility for the ATCO to get the data via the Internet or by connecting the licence to a computer? Is a credit card format acceptable? If yes, can we have on the recto of the card the elements of page one, an on the verso the items of page 2? Is it compulsory to have all the permanent items displayed on the plastic card? Are there any EASA requirements for the font type and size, as well as the size of the card? For the signature of the holder, is it acceptable to use the signature on the application form and duplicate it on the licence (credit card format)?

What does ‘national licence endorsement’ mean in GM1 ATCO.AR.D.001(c)?

In case we have specimen of the new licences before issuing them, would EASA be in the position to verify whether they comply with the new requirements?

What are the assessor prerequisites for assessing applicant OJTIs and applicant assessors?

ATCO.A.010 ‛Exchange of licence’ — Is this procedure valid also for the medical certificate?

ATCO.AR.D.001(a)(2) ...authorisation for assessors... — Does this mean that the competent authority shall specifically approve the assessors who will renew and revalidate unit endorsements?

Radio-telephony — I cannot find any provisions in Regulation (EU) 2015/340 requiring ATCOs to hold a radio-telephony certificate in order to be able to provide Air Traffic Services (ATS). There is also nothing on this in the licence form.

It is still unclear whether training for a rating endorsement is initial training or unit training. Is it up to the competent authority to decide? If training for a rating endorsement is considered to be initial training, does the ATS unit providing the training need to be certified for initial training?

ATCO.D.015(f) ‛Initial training plan’ - What does this paragraph mean?

Is it possible for ANSPs to provide training (e.g. transitional, pre-OJT, OJT, and continuation training) when having ‘training’ marked on its ANSP certificate without being certified as an ATCO training organisation?

When a total number of minimum hours to exercising the privileges of unit endorsement is established e.g. 150 in accordance with ATCO.B.025(a)(3), would it be sufficient for an OJTI to exercise his/hers privilege for 75 hours and the remaining 75 as OJTI?

How would it be possible to obtain information about Alternative Means of Compliance (AltMoCs) to the requirements of Regulation 2015/340 used by other Member States?